Slave
by The Almighty Spoon
Summary: Fiothiel's story continued to the third age. (known lotr characters in later chapters)
1. Slave 1

Chapter 1  
  
The Long and Winding Road  
  
Fio looked from behind the cover of the tree where she crouched hiding out of sight of mortal eyes. Her dark brown hair laid like dry brush on her head, and fell about her face in a primitive fashion. Her fair face was dirty and a wee bit scratched, her lips were dry and cracked from days without water. About her shoulders hung a green-gray cloak clasped together with a brooch from Mirkwood, and counseled underneath, was a light blue, elven dress. Once Regal and exqsite, it was now torn and soiled from days and nights hiding in deep unseen places, and on her side hung a mithril dagger with a silver and gold hilt, in a green and black leather sheath. Her hand now laid at rest on her dagger as she prepared to move, her hand was, as her lips, dry and lacked of moisture, and dry blood lay crusted on her knuckles.  
  
Fio gazed out again, still seeing no sign of danger with her vivid green elven eyes, so she stood and prepared to leave the cover of the trees in Fangorn. She who had once stood tall and proud now stood slumped over and hollow, her body was weary and her mind drifted in and out of the conscious world. She had traveled far from her home in Blackwood, which bordered the north-east side of Mirkwood, and now going back was not an option. She was in exile, not yet able to claim the thrown to which she was heir, not after her parents were killed. The memory of their deaths still clung to her like a bitter frost of winter, she grew to hate all else in this world, even the creatures that had, at one time, meant the most to her. Even other elves.  
  
Once more she looked around, then slowly and wearily she stepped into the open. The sunlight stung her eyes, and she raised a hand to shielded her eyes from her poisonous rays. It had been far too long sense Fio had breathed the free air, now she drew a deep breath and let it out with a sigh.  
  
'Rohan. Home to the people of the Mark.' She looked around again, she felt uneasy, 'I must not be discovered by the Rohirrim.'  
  
The withered elf maiden began to walk across the plain, although still not sure to where she was headed, just following the direction of her feet. After a while she turned and looked back at the fading line of trees that was the edge of Fangorn forest, Fio now wished that she was still in the cover of it's moss hooded trees. It was too late now. To go back was to risk being caught, but to move on was also to risk being captured. It was a one way road that seemed to ever go on, and ne'er come to an end.  
  
After two days and nights she reached the edge of Rohan and began to pass into the land of Gondor. The land seemed to welcome her less at each step past its borders. It was a land dark in the sense that it seemed a great grief ahead of it, and the land knew of it's coming. Fiothiel had felt it too, the threat of a fast approaching shadow, and none could escape its wrath, save thoughs who were truly virtuous.  
  
In not but a days time she traveled farther than she had imagined, Fio was now reaching the Pellenor fields. Her heart began to feel heavy and each step daunted her, her shadow weighed down on her and the sun caused sweat to form across her brow. Fio set foot onto the Pellenor, she now became aware of her great hunger and thirst. She slowly looked around, eye lids heavy and body aching, but still she saw no sign of life, save the great stone city of Gondor about a mile off. She reached the center of the field and looking towards the city and then to the lands in the opposite direction, she turned and walked towards the unknown. Fio had not encountered anyone on this path so far, nor did she wish to, especially Men.  
  
Fio began to walk in the direction of North, but as she did so sharp pain ran through her left shoulder, and with a cry she fell to her knees. From behind she could hear foot steps coming closer, but she no longer had the strength to move, all she could do was kneel there in pain, her body swaying and her eyes drifting. Then as the footsteps stopped behind her another sharp pain came from the back of her head and she was hit with the hilt of a sword. The blow knocked her to the ground and for a few seconds she lay face down in the grass, and then all went black.  
  
END OF CHAPTER 1 


	2. Slave 2

Chapter Two  
  
Finders Keepers  
  
Fio awoke in a small white room, in a bed with white cotton sheets and a hard pillow. She laid for a moment and just stared at the ceiling. How long had she been asleep she wondered, and where was she? She slowly began to sit up, and her hand went rushing to the back of her head a numbing headache set in, and she closed her eyes with pain. But then slowly again she opened them as footsteps entered the room. She looked to see who it was, and not so much to her surprise, it was a man. He was clad in the on duty cloths of a guard, but as it seemed he was no longer 'on duty'. His hair was shoulder length and a light brown, as were his eyes. He had the face of a well worked man in his early thirties, he was tall fair faced with a spiteful glint in his eyes.  
  
'Hello my fair maiden, I see you have awoken,' he said in a deep, soft voice as he sat by her bedside. Fio, not knowing what to think, moved away from this man and said nothing.  
  
'Do not fear my dear beauty, I will not harm you.'  
  
Fio still said nothing.  
  
'You have been asleep for a fortnight. I have had many sleepless hours wondering when you would awake.' He laid a hand on her cheek, 'I am brought much happiness to see you are well. I am Solomir, lieutenant under Captain Boromir.'  
  
Fiothiel was both confused and frightened, she violently bated this man's hand away. Then forgetting her pain she leaped off the bed onto the Solomir, he fell backwards in surprise. Fio grabbed his sword from its sheath and held it to his throat, Solomir looked at her in disbelief. Then a sudden change came over him, his eyes grew dark and in one swift motion he kicked Fiothiel off of him and onto the floor. He took the sword from her hand and whipped the back of his hand across her face. Fio's hand flew to her cheek as her eyes glazed a bit, her head was again throbbing.  
  
'I thought I dealt with an Elf, not an animal.' Solomir said spitting on her and calling his guards in.  
  
'You thought wrong, mereth en draugrim!' {feast of wolves}  
  
'Enough!' His hand flew across her face again.  
  
Just then the guards came in and lifted Fio roughly by her arms, she tried to break free, but it was no use, her strength was already leaving her. 'Struggle not my sweet,' Solomir said again placing his hand on her cheek, but it was swiftly removed agin as Fio snapped her teeth at his fingers, ' take her to the keep until I find a use for her. No food or water for ten days. You're mine now my thorned rose.'  
  
The guards nodded and walked off with her.  
  
End Chapter Two 


	3. Slave 3

Chapter Three  
  
The Keep  
  
All through the streets they dragged her along, and soon her feet began to bleed, the blood made a trail as they slowly progressed upwards and stained the passing stones red. Fio cringed in pain and tried to keep the pace, it was hopeless. Every time she could catch up with their footsteps, they would quicken their pace.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like hours they came to the topmost Citadel, there they turned left off the main street and down a dark and gloomy ally. The walls were made of dark gray stone, they were wet and mildewed, the air soon became quite fell as they reached the end of the streetway. They soon came to a heavy wooden door with black metal latch to open it. The guard to Fio's right lifted it and they brought her in.  
  
The air was cold and dank, it smelled old and unclean. The guards took Fio down several flights of stairs, and as they descended the air became thicker and more fell, and soon it became so dark that a torch was lit to see the rest of the way. They ducked through a pass and into another dark corridor, as they passed down it, Fio could see off on either side, there were more heavy wooden doors with black latches. Near the end of the corridor they stopped at one of these doors and again the guard to her right lifted the latch, then without warning they threw her in and slam the door. Fio went flying forward and hitting her head against the foremost wall fell to the ground, then pushing herselfup against the wall, she heard the latch click shut.  
  
Her vision blurred and blood from the newly acquired gash above her right eyebrow, poured into her eye. Closing her eye and wiping the blood away, she squinted in the darkness, trying to make out where see was. Then from over in the corner of the opposite side of the room, Fio saw movement. A dark figure began to slowly creep forward, Fio looked harder but it was no use, the blood poured fiercely now and her vision went black, again the world sifted from sight.  
  
Fio awoke again, only this time in darkness. The black figure was kneeling over her, dabbing her gash with a rag. Fio shot up and pushed herself a close to the wall as she could.  
  
'Do not be frightened. That's a nice little gash you've got there.'  
  
To Fio's surprise it was the voice of a foe, or some horrible creature, it was the song-like voice of an elf. She looked in disbelief as before her sat a she-elf, dark as it was, her features clearly shown. Her face was not ageless, but young, and fair. Her dark mahogany hair was straight and long, and well kept. Her eyes blended perfectly with her hair, and she wore an old green tattered dress. She was very beautiful, but also very sad. She looked as Fio felt, bitter and cold.  
  
'Y,y,you're an, an elf.' Fio said in a wavering tone, beginning to feel light headed again.  
  
'Indeed.' The she-elf said examining her face and the open wound over her brow, 'A very good observation.'  
  
'I mean you to say that I was not expecting to see another.' She laughed a bit at her witless words.  
  
'Mm hm. You have been hit on the head hard I see.'  
  
'What are you saying?'  
  
'Nothing, nothing. What's your name stranger from the North?'  
  
'Fiothiel Anawiel, how did you know I was from the North?'  
  
'Just did. Well Fio, if you don't mind me calling you that, though I will call you that even if you do mind. My name is Annawen Blackbirch.'  
  
'Mae govannen.'  
  
'Ay, well met indeed. Have you any food?' Annawen looked intently at Fio.  
  
'No, I have not. And I will not be getting any for ten days at the least.'  
  
'Pity, that.' Annawen walked back over into her corner and began to mend holes in her dress.  
  
Fio found this encounter very interesting and sat and watched Annawen for a time, but soon sleep overcame her, she laid on the cold stone floor and drifted off into uneasy sleep.  
  
End Chapter Three 


	4. Slave 4

Chapter Four  
  
Hidden AgendaThe next ten days went by faster than Fio had imagined, during that time a friendship grew between her and the mysterious Annawen. Finally as the sun rose on the tenth day, Fio was woken by the sting of freezing cold water to her face. She opened her eyes wearily and looked around the dark little room, Annawen was nowhere in site. She slowly sat up and whipped the water from her eyes, then she noticed that before her stood the ominous figure of a guard.  
  
"Get up you filthy little wench, you're going to start earning your stay this day."  
  
The man grabbed her arms and roughly lifted her to her feet. Fio glared at him and was thinking of attacking him, but when he handed her a piece of bread and a slab of cheese, the thought strayed from her mind. Fio took them without question greedily eating the cheese and bread, she ate all but half which, she saved for Annawen. The guard said something to her in a strange language, and Fiothiel figured he was telling her to follow him, so she laid the food on Annawen's bed and followed the man to the door.  
  
Another man was waiting by the outside of the door, in his hand he held a rope. As she neared him the guard behind her grabbed her and held out her hands, then the guard with the rope quickly and skillfully tied them tightly together. The men, from what Fio could see, were tall and dark haired, like all the other men of Gondor. Their skin was fair, like that of Solomir, and the were clad in the garb of the Citadel Guards. The thought of struggle again rose in Fio's mind, but with her hands bound and throbbing, and her hunger still aching, it soon seemed an impossible feat. Fiothiel just looked at her dirt and blood crested feet and followed the man who had tied her hands.  
  
They went the same way that they had gone when Fiothiel was first brought down into the Keep. She remembered the path in which they took, and easily avoided the cracks and loose stones on the floor. She could also see more clearly where she was going, as her eyes were now used to the darkness that engulfed the dank passages. Soon enough they reached the bottom of that long staircase, the guard pushed her forward, and they began to climb.  
  
Fio tried to take her mind off the pain of her feet and the fact that the circulation was cut off to her hands, by counting the stairs. She lost count at 350. Foithiel figured that the Keep must go deep into the mountain, far below the top-most Citadel. They continued up the dark and narrow staircase until the reached the heavy wooden door that was its exit to the outside word. The Citadel guard to her left opened the door and pushed her out into the daylight.  
  
The sun's light stung her eyes and she looked away from the light and cringed. She had not looked upon the lighted world in ten days, nor had she breathed the fresh air, and now she took a long, deep breath filling her lungs with the sweet flowered air. For a moment she forgot the she was captured and she just allowed all the freshness of the crisp autumn to refresh her senses. But she was soon brought back to the world a hard kick from behind and she fell to her knees.  
  
'Up bitch, you have work to do!' One of the guards yelled at her and kicked her in the side.  
  
Fio forced herself to her feet and gave a light moan to the pain of a newly bruised rib. The men pushed her along towards a large house up the way from the main road, every step in the newborn day gave her new strength. Fiothiel began to look around the city in which was kept, and to all surprise it was a beautiful city. The stones were white and clean, the houses were bright and wooden, and there was a fountain not too far off where a white tree stood. Or at least it had been a white tree at one time, it was now dead and gray. Aside from that though, it was a beautiful city of stone, a place Fio may have been glad to visit if under other circumstances.  
  
They reached the house soon enough, and the guards walked in, motioning for her to follow. Fio bowed her head and walked inside. It was unbelievably white, the floors were craved of white marble, the windows had white curtains hanging from them the flew in the breeze. The doors were painted white as well, and even though all around her white and bright, and evil lingered and a great darkness grew in her heart.  
  
The guards led her into a great hall, from the center branched many doors leading to various rooms of the house, but they continued straight. When they reach the far side of the great hall they stopped, in front of them stood two large, black doors. The guards opened them and when they did so it exposed another large white room. The guards untied her hands and pushed her towards the room, Fiothiel look into this bright white room, the back towards the large hall. From the corner of her eye Fio saw someone on their hands and knees scrubbing the floor.  
  
'Annawen!' Fio shouted breaking free from the guards and running over to her and kneeling by her side.  
  
'What are you doing up here?' Annawen smiled and looked at her happy face with surprise.  
  
'I'm not sure, this is where they led me.' Fio said motioning to the guards.  
  
Annawen's smile faded as she looked at the guards standing by the open door, something was not right and she could feel it. She stared at them for a time, but was brought back to the world with Fio's voice.  
  
'Annawen? I saved some food for you Annawen.' She was saying.  
  
'Thank you,' Annawen said turning her gaze back to Fiothiel and putting on a smile for show, 'but I have already eaten.'  
  
'Oh.' Said Fio thinking about the extra food she might have eaten.  
  
'We can share it when we return.' She placed a kind hand on Fio's shoulder, 'We shall have to celebrate to coming back into the world.'  
  
Fio nodded and opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a voice from within the room.  
  
'Barad, you lazy ass. What's taking you so long!' The voice of Solomir snarled.  
  
The guard to the left, the one that had given her the food, walked forward and grabbed Fio by the hair and pulled her to the door. Fio kicking and grabbing at her hair, screamed in pain as he pulled her along. When they reached the door Barad grabbed the collar of her torn dress and lifted her to her feet. Fio coughed and clutched at her throat, but all was happening far too fast for her to do anything. What was this change that came over this guard to make him suddenly so violent? Annawen threw her rag down and stood, ready to attack Barad as soon as her touched her friend again. Barad saw this and nodded at the other guard, who then pushed Fio into the room. Annawen went back to work, but watched intently into the room where Fio was forced in.  
  
Fio flew forward into the room, arms in front of her and feet trying to keep up. She fell to the floor but quickly got her bearings back and stood, looking around. In front of her was plain white bed with more of the hard pillows, and on the bed lay Solomir, hands behind his head and a sinister smile spread across his face. Fio cringed and turn towards the door, but Solomir's fell voice came from behind her, sending a chill though her spine and stopping even her breath.  
  
'No point going that way, you'll get nowhere. My guards will see to that.' Solomir stood and walked over to her.  
  
Fio turned to him and looked into his eyes, and she saw that there was a lustful glint within them. He laid a hand on her cheek and began again to caress it, Fio again pushed it away. Rage grew in Solomir's eyes and the lustful look her gave became greedy and cold. He backhanded her and she was knocked back with the force. He then her grabbed her shoulders, digging his fingers into them and making Fio cringe, he threw he on to the bed. Fio was stunned and laid there confused and dazed.  
  
Solomir walked over to the doors and slammed them shut. At that moment Annawen jumped up and ran towards the doors, but was caught by the guards, and they held her back. Inside Solomir walked to the side of the bed and looked down at this beautiful elf that lay there, in a daze. He took the back of his hand and stroked her arm, Fio quickly moved away. This again angered Solomir, he flung himself forward in a rage and began to beat her. Fio cried out in pain and she could hear Annawen on the other side of the door screaming and fighting with the guards.  
  
Solomir let up and agin stood over her, looking down in a condescending way. Fio lay on the floor, bleeding and drained of any energy, it was a sad thing to look on. Solomir lifted her and again threw her on the bed. He leaned down and kissed her lips in a hard cruel manner. Fio batted her hands at him, and as soon as he pulled away brought her nails across he face. Solomir's hand flew to the side of his face as blood began to flow from his face. Again Fio felt the back of his hand whip across her face. Solomir grew impatient. He began to tear off her cloths, Fio screamed and struggled with all her remaining strength, but now she became weak and posed little threat. He both of her arms above her head with one hand, and greedily kisses her neck and shoulders. His other hand was busy a well, tearing of her sleeves and ripping the front her dress. The from his belt, he pulled a dagger, her dagger. Slowly he slashed the dress and pulled it off her, then he slowly brought the blade across her stomach. As it cut into her flesh, Fio tried to scream, but she found that now sound came out.  
  
'Tua! Annawen, tua amin!' Fio said as loud as she could manage, which was but a hoarse whisper.  
  
{Help! Annawen, help me!}  
  
End Chapter Four 


	5. Slave 5

Chapter Five  
  
The Promise  
  
Annawen fought the guards fiercely, the screams from within the room filled her heart with pain.  
  
'Fio! Fio hold on.' She yelled kicking Barad in the groin and making for the door. An arm flew out in front of her from nowhere and the blow knocked her to the floor.  
  
'Utinu en lokirim, amin delotha lle!' She hissed at the guard the stood before her laughing.  
  
{Son of snakes, I hate you!} She again got up in another attempt to help her friend, and so it went on for a least an hour, but at the end time was not known.  
  
The doors swung open just as Annawen was biting the ear of no longer laughing guard, and Barad lay on the ground in pain, from multiple blows to the groin. Solomir stood looking at the mess in the hall from the struggle that had taken place, then he yeld for his guards to get up and go with him to Lord Denethor. The guards got up and follow, Annawen smiled as saw the deep finger nail cuts across Solomir's face. As the men walk towards the door Annawen began to run after them, but then, from within the bedroom a sound came that made Annawen's heart break. Fio could be heard sobbing from within, it sounded like the mournful cry of a songbird after it's mate had died, saddest thing any could hear.  
  
The choice conflicted Annawen, to attack the men fell men of Gondor or go to her friend. Annawen turned and run into the bedroom, she looked around franticly. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw. Sprawled on the floor, laid Fio, bruised and spirit broken. Shreds of her dress were strewn around the room, blood dripped from her nose and the corner of her mouth. Her stomach still bled freely and all that cover her was what remained of a sheet torn in the struggle. Annawen ran to her and touched her tear stained cheek, Fio quivered and let out a cry.  
  
'Shhhh. Hush now, it's ok.' Annawen lifted Fio into her arms and wrapped sheet around her.  
  
'A-annawen?' Fio voice was weak and barely audible.  
  
'It's me Fio, I'm here.' Annawen pressed Fio close to her and closed her eyes, rocking her back and forth. The only thought that passed through her mind was, how could she have left this happen to her friend? Why did Solomir crush this flower? Why? There and then, with Fiothiel in her arms, she made a vow. 'I will kill him. I will kill Solomir, he will never do this to you again.' She said and then whispering into Fio's ear, 'I promise you, I promise.'  
  
End Chapter Five 


End file.
